Shihouin Naraku joyfully held the Tensa Zangetsu in his hand, waving it with casual grace. The black blade cut through the air, making a shrill whimpering sound. The sharp edge seemed to slice through space itself, leaving only an invisible thin line in its wake.
"I like this blade. It's both handsome and sharp!"
Shihouin Naraku certainly had no shortage of quality weapons. In fact, he owned a collection of several fine swords, but none of them could compare to the Tensa Zangetsu before him.
"Wait, Tensa Zangetsu is a Zanpakutō, and this is its Bankai state. So the one in my hand..." He paused, remembering something. "And when the reward appeared, it mentioned that the name could be changed after Tensa Zangetsu..."
"System, what does this mean?" Naraku asked.
[The rewards that appear in each lottery are influenced by the Host's subconscious mind...]
[For example, if the prize is a Devil Fruit, the Mera-Mera Fruit will appear due to the Host's influence!]
[One of the prizes this time is a Zanpakutō. Because of the Host's preference, Tensa Zangetsu was drawn. This sword has also inherited some of its original abilities.]
[For example: Holding this blade increases the Host's strength, movement speed, and attack speed, putting them in an ultra-limited combat state. It also has a unique ability: Crescent Sky Strike, which compresses the Host's chakra to its limit at the tip of the blade before releasing it, forming a crescent-shaped blade of light with extreme power!]
[Note: The special mark indicating it can be renamed means that after changing its name, the blade will truly become the Host's Zanpakutō, with more magical abilities. The original abilities will still be preserved after the name change, and due to the Host's preferences, the appearance of the Zanpakutō will only change slightly.]
"So that's what you mean..." Shihouin Naraku suddenly understood, but he scratched his head, not quite comprehending why he subconsciously favoured the Mera-Mera Fruit.
Is this true or false? There are so many magical Devil Fruits in the world of Pirates it seems impossible that he would like the Mera-Mera Fruit the most.
Could it be that this subconscious preference means that in this life, he has a natural affinity for Fire Style jutsu, causing him to unconsciously choose the Mera-Mera Fruit?
He decided to let it go. He couldn't figure it out now.
It was better to resolve the Zanpakutō issue first. Since the System had made it very clear that changing the name would not affect the original abilities and would even grant new ones, there was no reason to hesitate.
"System, how do I change the name?" he asked.
[The Host holds the Zanpakutō, and the name will appear in his mind!]
Shihouin Naraku thought about it, then sat cross-legged, clasped Tensa Zangetsu in both hands, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
A name?
A name!
What will my Zanpakutō be called?
The room gradually grew quiet. The only sound was Shihouin Naraku's steady breathing.
Breathe in... breathe out...
Shihouin Naraku, his mind completely immersed in the sea of consciousness, seemed to hear a shout...
His deep eyes suddenly opened, and he called out the name he had heard.
"The myriad phenomena, the myriad dharmas, Kurikara!!!"
The Zanpakutō that Shihouin Naraku held tightly in both hands suddenly began to vibrate. Before he could lower his head to look, the vibration disappeared.
A brand new Zanpakutō appeared before his eyes!
The black scabbard was dotted with plum blossoms, with a golden dragon wrapped around it. Its scales and claws were clearly visible, giving it a mighty and unrestrained appearance.
The originally black and red handle now featured many invisible fish-scale-like patterns, making it look extremely delicate.
"Clang!"
The sharp blade was unsheathed, and Shihouin Naraku nodded with satisfaction. Although the original Tensa Zangetsu looked like a straight blade at first glance, it actually had a slight curve to it. Now, the knife had completely transformed into a perfect straight blade.
The pitch-black blade seemed unchanged at first, but upon closer inspection, one would find that even light could not illuminate its surface. The darkness of the blade had become like a black hole, swallowing all sight, making people feel possessed and unwilling to look away.
Moreover, it seemed as if a black dragon was wandering within the dark blade, though it was difficult to see clearly.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! The Zanpakutō has awakened successfully!]
"Both the scabbard and the Zanpakutō itself are exactly what I wanted!" Shihouin Naraku exclaimed.
Just by holding Kurikara, Naraku automatically knew all the information about the sword.
First, as long as Shihouin Naraku fought with Kurikara in hand, the sword would automatically help restore his physical strength and chakra.
Kurikara would also increase the power of all ninjutsu Naraku released. There was also an ability he found rather strange: from now on, no snakes or dragons could cause him any harm.
Finally, the most important ability was that Kurikara could devour any Zanpakutō to strengthen itself. That meant if Shihouin Naraku acquired other Zanpakutō in the future, Kurikara could consume them and gain new powers.
Of course, it might not be limited to just Zanpakutō. As for what else it could devour, Shihouin Naraku would need to explore that himself.
"This lucky draw is amazing! It's worth all the brain cells I lost!" he exclaimed happily.
Kurikara alone greatly enhanced Shihouin Naraku's strength, not to mention the other prizes.
He hung the blade at his waist, and then Shihouin Naraku discovered that Kurikara and its scabbard disappeared. When he placed his hand on his waist, the knife appeared again. When he let go, the knife vanished once more.
"This is convenient. It won't interfere with combat or daily activities."
It was a Zanpakutō after all, forged from Shihouin Naraku's soul, not just any ordinary sword.
Though Kurikara had no intelligence, it recognized only Shihouin Naraku as its master!
He wasn't afraid of losing Kurikara because only he could use the blade. Anyone else who tried would die, and anyone who dared to claim it for themselves would be reduced to ashes by its flames.
...
"Let me see what other rewards I got this time..."
"A Fire Style jutsu, a Lightning Style jutsu, and a Detonating Tag. Wait, why is there a 30% discount coupon for Ichiraku Ramen as a reward? The key issue is that it's expired. What's the point of having it?"
Shihouin Naraku picked up the discount coupon in bewilderment and checked the date. Sure enough, it was from nine years ago and had expired long ago.
"Great, why not just give me one from ten years ago? Maybe I can give it to Uzumaki Naruto as an antique for a birthday present."
After thinking about it more, Shihouin Naraku realized the potential use of this discount coupon.
Since Uzumaki Naruto was a loyal customer of Ichiraku Ramen, perhaps if he took it to Teuchi at Ichiraku, the old man would recognize it.
"Observation, Haki! This comes at the perfect time. Combined with the elementalization ability of the Mera-Mera Fruit, no one will be able to sneak up on me from now on. This will be a great help in battle."
Shihouin Naraku focused on his new Observation, Haki, and the moment he entered that state, his five senses became extremely sharp.
He seemed to have gained a supernatural ability.
Although he was standing in his room, he could "hear" what was happening outside.
A gentle breeze blowing through flower petals, bees fluttering their delicate wings.
A leaf from a tall tree slowly falls onto the water, creating ripples across the surface.
In the distance, children chasing and playing in the street, their clothes fluttering in the wind.
A street vendor's windmill creaked as he called out to potential customers.
All these vivid and interesting scenes appeared as if he were seeing them with his own eyes, making Shihouin Naraku feel as though he existed in a special world.
"So this is the world of Observation, Haki!"
Shihouin Naraku reluctantly exited the Observation Haki state. It had been a wonderful feeling, grasping the entire world in an instant, which made him wish he could stay in that state longer.
"Conqueror's Haki is still out there," he mused. "Right now, I only have Observation Haki, and I don't know when I'll acquire the remaining two types."
"But I seem to have only mastered the basic abilities of Observation Haki. I don't yet know the more advanced abilities like predicting the future, listening to thoughts, or reading memories."
"I'll try to develop those advanced abilities in the future. Some of them seem to be innate talents, but with the system's help, I may not be permanently unable to learn them."
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